10 mind-blowing Rickey Henderson stats from his Hall of Fame career: stolen bases, first home runs and more

Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, the greatest leader and base stealer in history, diedthe league announced Saturday. He was 65 years old.

Historian Bill James once wrote that “if you could split Rickey Henderson in half, you would have two Hall of Famers.” Henderson is part of the Hall of Fame’s inner circle, retiring with 3,055 hits and a record 1,406 stolen bases. He played for nine teams in 25 seasons, not including a few years in independent leagues late in his career.

To celebrate the Stealing Man, here are 10 mind-blowing stats from Henderson’s Hall of Fame career.

1. He is the all-time stolen base king

Henderson is the all-time leader in stolen bases, and that understates his success. He broke Lou Brock’s career stolen base record on May 1, 1991 and declared himself “the greatest of all time.” He’s not wrong.

Henderson broke Brock’s career stolen base record in his 1,615th career game. He went on to play another 1,466 matches. Here is the all-time ranking of stolen bases:

1. Rickey Henderson: 1,406
2. Lou Brock: 938
3. Billy Hamilton: 914
4. Ty Cobb: 897
5. Tim Raines: 808

The gap between Henderson and Brock is 468 stolen bases, which is the same as the gap between Brock and Jimmy Rollins, who ranks 46th all-time with 470 steals. Henderson’s total is almost exactly 50% higher than Brock’s, and the gap between the two is equivalent to a top-50 all-time stolen base total. Henderson’s stolen base record is one of the most unbreakable in all of sports.

2. He stole a marathon

At 90 feet per steal, Henderson’s 1,406 career steals equal 125,540 feet of stolen bases. That’s 23.97 miles, or just shy of a full 26-mile marathon. Henderson’s physical condition was off the charts and, among other things, he attributed it to running 3 to 5 miles every other day. Add in his stolen bases and the man has run more than his fair share of marathons over the years.

3. He led the league in interceptions in his first seven full seasons

After being drafted in 1976, Henderson made his MLB made his debut in June 1979 and hit .279 with 33 stolen bases in 89 games as a rookie with the Athletics. Henderson played his first full season in 1980 and led his league in stolen bases that year, as well as in each of the next six seasons. For many years, the race was not close:

A hamstring injury limited Henderson to 95 games and 41 interceptions in 1987, ending his streak of leading his league in stolen bases. He returned to the saddle the following year, however, and led the league in interceptions in 1988 (94), 1989 (77), 1990 (65) and 1991 (58). Without that hamstring injury, Henderson likely would have led his league in stolen bases in each of his first 12 full seasons.

Alas and alas, Henderson had to settle for leading the league in 11 of his first twelve full seasons. In total, he led the league in stolen bases 12 times, the most in history. Hall of Famer Max Carey is the only other player to lead his league in interceptions at least 10 times.

4. He is the only player to steal 130 bases in a season

Those 130 stolen bases in 1982 are the single-season record, 12 more than any player in the modern era (since 1900). Brock held the previous record with 118 interceptions in 1974. Henderson broke Brock’s record on August 27, 1982.

Only eight times in the modern era (since 1900) has a player stolen 100 bases in a season. Henderson did it three times (1980, 1982, 1983). Vince Coleman (1985-87) too. Brock (1974) and Maury Wills (1962) are the other two members of the group of 100 interceptions in a club season.

5. He led MLB in interceptions at age 39

With the A’s in 1998, Henderson stole 66 bases, eight more than any other player. It was his age 39 season. He also led baseball with 118 walks that season. Only six times has a player stolen even 30 bases at age 39 or older. Henderson did it three out of six times:

1. Rickey Henderson, 1998: 66 years old (39 years old)
2. Davey Lopes, 1985: 47 years old (40 years old)
3. Rickey Henderson, 1999: 37 years old (40 years old)
4. Otis Nixon, 1998: 37 years old (39 years old)
5. Rickey Henderson, 2000: 36 years old (41 years old)
6. Kenny Lofton, 2006: 32 years old (39 years old)

Henderson stole 109 bases in his 40s, the most in history. The second most bases in the modern era (since 1900) belong to Lopes, who stole 74 bases in his 40s.

6. He once stole five bases in a game without any at-bats

Only 28 times in history has a player stolen five or more bases in a single game. Henderson, of course, was responsible for one of the 28. He stole a career-high five bases on July 29, 1989. Surprisingly, Henderson did not have an official batting in the game. He made four plate appearances and walked four times, all against Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. It’s your standard 0-for-0 game with five stolen bases. Henderson also scored four points in the game.

7. He is the career leader in unintentional walks

Even though he posed the biggest base-stealing threat of the game, opposing pitchers still had trouble throwing Henderson’s strikes. He issued 2,190 walks in his career, second only to Barry Bonds (2,558). Bonds, however, was intentionally run a record 688 times. Henderson was intentionally walked only 61 times. That makes Rickey the all-time leader in unintentional walks with 2,129. Bonds finished well behind him with 1,870 unintentional walks.

8. He reached base 25 times in the 1989 playoffs

That’s 25 times in just nine games. Henderson had 15 hits, nine walks and one hit by pitch as he helped the A’s win the 1989 World Series. He went 6 for 15 (.400) with seven walks and zero outs at-bat in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, earning him ALCS MVP honors. In other words, Henderson reached base 25 times in the 1989 postseason and made just 19 outs for a nice .568 on-base percentage. This is the second-highest postseason on-base percentage (min. 40 plate appearances) behind Bonds’ .581 mark in 2002.

9. He is the all-time leader in first home runs

Henderson is the greatest base-stealing threat in baseball history. He was no slouch on the plate either. Henderson retired with 297 career home runs, which ranks him 165th all-time. A record 81 times, Henderson led off a game with a home run. Here is the ranking of the first career circuits:

1. Rickey Henderson: 81
2. George Springer: 60
3. Alphonse Soriano: 54
4. Craig Biggio: 53
5. Bets on Mookie: 52

On July 6, 1993, Henderson became the second player to hit a leadoff home run in both games of a doubleheader. Hall of Famer Harry Hooper previously did it in 1913. Brady Anderson (1999) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018) have since matched the feat.

Henderson hit his last big league home run on July 20, 2003. Naturally, it was a debut home run.

10. He hit a home run in 25 different seasons

Henderson played a game in 25 different seasons in the big leagues, tied with Hall of Famer Eddie Collins for the most in the modern era (since 1990). And in all 25 seasons, Henderson has hit at least one home run. He is the only player to have deepened 25 different seasons. Ty Cobb has done it in 24 seasons, and several players have done it in 23 seasons, but Henderson is the all-time leader in home run seasons. Not bad for the biggest base stealer in the game, eh?